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Six heads of states confirmed to attend Sierra Leone President's inauguration ceremony

[February 21, 2013]

Six heads of states confirmed to attend Sierra Leone President's inauguration ceremony

FREETOWN, Feb 21, 2013 (Xinhua via COMTEX) --
Six African heads of states have
been confirmed to attend the inauguration ceremony of Sierra
Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma, the chief director of
Communication in Presidency Unisa Sesay told Xinhua on Thursday.

The heads include Benin President and chairman of the African
Union (AU) Thomas Boni Yayi, President of Ivory Coast Alassane
Ouattara, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Goodluck
Jonathan of Nigeria, Senegalese President Macky Sall and Gambian
President Yahya Jammeh.

Unisa Sesay said more heads of states are expected to come, but
not yet are confirmed.

Jiang Weixin, Special envoy of Chinese President Hu Jintao and
the minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development arrived in
Freetown Thursday and will be present at the upcoming inauguration
ceremony.

Ernest Bai Koroma will be sworn in for his second term on
Friday at the national stadium in Freetown.

According to the office of the President, the Presidential Task
Force on the inauguration has been coordinating all aspects of the
preparations.

Sierra Leone's government has declared Friday a public national
holiday to enable the people to participate fully and
enthusiastically in the celebrations.

Sierra Leone's National Electoral Commission (NEC) announced on
Nov. 23, 2012 that Ernest Bai Koroma has been re-elected as Sierra
Leone's President for a second term with 58.7 percent of favorable
vote.

President Koroma's campaign is based on the theme of
"Transformation for National Prosperity," which promises to revamp
the country's mining sector to enhance the economic and social
wellbeing of the people.

The general election last year was the first free vote that
Sierra Leone organized itself. The previous two elections were
organized by the UN.